On September 22nd, Missouri gave up 397 yards to Division I-AA Illinois State. Redbird running back Geno Blow gashed the Tigers for 113 yards rushing. Mizzou was at or near the bottom of the Big 12 Conference in every major statistical defensive category.

Three days later, things changed.

"I think if I had to go back to one thing, it's probably the Tuesday practice before we played Nebraska," said Lorenzo Williams. "We were really intense, we walked off the field and we just knew that's how we needed to be practicing all the time."

"In practice, we prepared harder and we've just been more intense ever since the Nebraska game," Sean Weatherspoon concurred. "We got fired up for Nebraska week. We just built on it. Ever since then, practice has been more intense."